Viral 'borg' drinks can contain up to 17 shots — more than enough to cause deadly alcohol poisoning
- A borg is a gallon-sized drink that can contain up to 17 shots of alcohol.
- The drink has gone viral on TikTok, with videos tagged #borg viewed over 84 million times.
People who drink "borgs," one-gallon bottles sometimes containing 17 shots of alcohol, in the hope they will prevent a hangover risk giving themselves alcohol poisoning — a condition that kills six people every day in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Borgs, or "black out rage gallons," are filled with alcohol, water, and flavored with drink enhancers containing electrolytes, such as Crystal Light, in the hope that hydration will prevent a hangover.
Other supposed benefits that have made it popular among college students include a borg being individual to each person because it has a lid on, lowering the risk of being spiked, New York-based substance use preventionist Erin Monroe said on TikTok.
The drink has gone viral on TikTok, with #borg videos being viewed over 84 million times.
The alcohol content in borgs varies. One viral TikTok with 2.5 million views featured a borg containing half a bottle of vodka — equal to about eight shots. Some contain a fifth of alcohol, which is equal to almost 17 shots.
"Consuming this much alcohol would be fatal for the vast majority of people," Dr. George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health, who said he'd seen recipes with 43 servings of alcohol, told CBS News.
The University of Massachusetts made a statement warning about borgs on March 4 after 28 ambulances were called to college parties over the weekend.
Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include vomiting, blue-tinged skin, and unconsciousness
Drinking a fifth-sized bottle of high-percentage alcohol can result in alcohol poisoning, even when consumed over a period of several hours, The National Capital Poison Center said in a warning about borgs on its website.
Alcohol poisoning is when the concentration of alcohol in the blood reaches a dangerous level that stops the body from working properly.
Drink Aware — a charity that provides information about drinking — said there is no set amount of alcohol that causes alcohol poisoning. It is dependent on factors such as the person's size, sex, weight, how fast they've been drinking, how much they've eaten, their general health, and if they've taken medication or drugs.
It said it takes an average adult around two hours to process a standard US drink serving. Drinking a lot in a short space of time increases the concentration of alcohol in the blood.
Symptoms of alcohol poisoning can include confusion, severely slurred speech, vomiting, blue-tinged skin, being conscious but unresponsive, unconsciousness, and a loss of bladder or bowel control.
Drink Aware said alcohol poisoning can be fatal for several reasons. It can reduce a person's body temperature, which risks hypothermia, and can cause vomiting, which can put the individual at risk of choking if they are passed out.
Alcohol poisoning can also lead to a heart attack, fit, or can stop the individual from breathing.
Don't give someone coffee if they've had too much to drink
If someone is showing signs of alcohol poisoning, Drink Aware said to give them water, keep them awake, stay with them and monitor their symptoms, keep them warm, put them in the recovery position if they've passed out, and call an ambulance.
The charity said to never do the following to someone with alcohol poisoning: make them throw up because they could choke on their vomit, give them coffee because it's dehydrating, leave them alone to sleep, put them in a cold shower, or give them more alcohol.
To stay safe while drinking, Drink Aware recommends avoiding drinking too much, eating a meal before drinking, drinking water in between alcoholic drinks, and sticking with friends.